The Games that We Play
by raditus
Summary: Gene and Sam nick someone usual and Ray and Chris both have a time of their lives, without Gene or Sam butting in!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Sam Tyler was mad at hornets at Gene Hunt. They had a row inside the HQ earlier that day. Sam was going to try the coffee because he was beat from having his splitting headaches and hearing nurses and stuff. He wished that they had made Tylenol PM 'back then' the way he'd felt after that bout last night, he'd wish he could down them all!

"What's wrong now?" Grumbled Gene Hunt, quickly giving the younger man a sharp look at him drove. "Not still grousing about the coffee incident, are you?"

"Well gee," Began Sam equally as sharp, "If you hadn't of slapped it from my hands, Chris wouldn't have to replace his forms, now would he?"

"If you hadn't have frowned like that at me," Gene almost shuddered.

He'd just asked Sam simple question back at the HQ. A huge scowl appeared on his face, like straight from Hell! It freaked Gene out, and before they both knew it, the coffee cup was slapped from Sam, the contents spewing out, sending people running and big splotches and puddles appear. During the aftermath, Chris Skelton started making a stink that his forms he'd just filled out about the case were ruined! All Ray Carling could do was shake his head, glaring at the two 'terror-twins' that caused the ruckus!

"Bloody sorry, but you could have seen I'd needed some painkillers! But no you-"The car perceptively slowed and for a moment, Sam was nervous that Gene was going to throttle him, right in the car.

"Would you look at that," Gene said in something that was akin to wonder. "What's that plonk doing, all dressed up like that?" Sam glanced at whom Gene was referring to, expecting to see a scantily dressed woman. Instead, the sight shocked him. It wasn't a scantily dressed woman. Oh it was a woman, but she was not scantily dressed; she was dressed up too much.

Sakura Briars cursed under her breath as she laboriously trudged down the sidewalk, bending over slightly as she walked. This was do to the added weight of her thick, armor-like blue denim long coat and the brown imitation-leather book bag strapped to her back. She had magick books and CD player with headphones in it. As if this weight wasn't enough, she also carried in her left hand a bag with food in it. She'd just cleared a block when a loud male's voice called out. 

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Sakura just walked on; mentally going over the martial arts moves she'd seen her favorite character from Naruto use. After awhile, she was aware that this car, over to her left was pulling up slowly. Inwardly, she kept telling herself to take stock of places around her, to run at the first sign of foul play. She turned slowly, to find a scowling D.C.I Gene Hunt glaring at her.

"Are you a Div?" he challenged. "I've been calling for you!"

She stood a respectable distance away, heart hammering. "I didn't know you were talking to me." She put in, bashful, and lowering her eyes. "I'm sorry sir." 

There was another male voice, quickly telling Gene something. Gene just cut his eyes in the direction of the passenger and snorted. 

Sam could see, from the car that this woman, no a girl, was getting uncomfortable at the way Gene was glaring at her and asking her questions. He wanted to do something, even if was to bring this girl out of the shell for a few moments. He could tell that the girl was uncomfortable with talking to other people a lot.

"Stop it," Whispered Sam to Gene. "If you harass her like that, she'll not talk at all."

Gene snorted, but did not press the issued further and let Sam get out of the car. When Sam approached the girl, he could see her sort of cringe from him, recoil if you must. It pained him briefly but he let it slide.

"What is your name?" Sam asked as softly as he could to put the girl at ease.

"Sakura," was the reply. Sam racked his brains, as the name sounded familiar. By this time, Gene got out of the car as well and joined Sam to see what this 'plonk' was all about.

"Is that your real name, or just some fancy thing?" Gene asked briskly, making the girl pale. Sam gave him a warning glance, in which Gene went on, totally unwarned.

"My birth name is Isobel," the girl replied, wincing in disgust at her name. "Everyone else just calls me Sakura."

"We not everybody else," Gene replied sarcastically. "We are the Police" 

"Where were you going?" Sam asked, pointedly ignoring Gene's comments. Whatever was eating at Gene could wait, in his opinion.

"I just got here, I am a tourist." The comment was innocent enough, but there seemed to be something hiding behind it, maybe in the way she said it. But no, even the way she said it was innocent. But something didn't ping right.

"Let's go on down to the station and get this sorted, alright?" Sam replied, not wanting to put an edge onto his voice. There almost always was an inevitable edge to a voice when any cop asked someone in for questioning. It was natural, both for the cop and the person in question. Sam was hesitant to think this slip of a girl as a suspect; because there wasn't anything she was suspected of! 

Sakura's eyes widened at the mention of questioning! It was not fair, she made sure that she hid everything not dealing with nineteen seventy three! Why does all the bad juju happened to me? She thought as Gene and Sam waited there, waiting for her to answer. Everyone else gets to have a life, money, a family but me! Instead, I am put into a position where it is a necessity that I go without, and then other people want to come in and tell me how to live my life, how to have my house set up! They make it where I have to make such a dire move! as she thought this and about the upcoming interrogation, she wanted to burst into scared tears, and she hated herself for it!

"Hey," She began, putting her hands up, "We don't have to do all of that, not when-"Without further ado, Sakura tore off the other way! There were shouts and she risked a look behind her. Gene was running for her, as was Sam but Sam was ahead in the race.

Sakura was already wearing out because of the added weight, and she was starting to develop a stitch in her side! She tried breathing evenly thought her nose and out of her mouth like she had learned many years ago in school. It worked, but not by much. She had to ditch the bag just to keep ahead of Tyler, who was coming closer behind her, breathing laboriously!. She veered off, and headed straight for the railing of a 'bridge' she came across earlier before. She ran at the railing, wondering how the heck she could vault over it, her being bogged down. She grabbed the rail with one hand and swung her legs up and over! She came down too soon and was hanging by one hand over a body of water! Sam and Gene made it to the trailing and stood over it, looking at her in shocked amazement, then to fear for her as they realized the predicament she was in!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Bloody Hell, she's going to get herself killed!" Gene roared out in frustration. Sam brought order to the situation right away.

"Stay calm, young lady." He called out to the terrified woman below. "We are going to help." He paced the bridge, getting irate glares from Gene as he hunkered down, helping the woman hang out.

"Hurry up," The girl cried out, "I think I'm slipping!" Sam quickly called it in on his radio. Soon, different types of rescue personnel were securing the girl from falling.

Hours later, back at the HQ, Ray Carling and Chris Skelton were sitting around, talking about things that happened earlier that day.

"This div almost slipped off the bridge," Ray began, "at least from what I've heard so far."

"How can you slip off a bridge?" Chris asked. 'What were they doing, dancing?"

"Word has it," Ray's voice dropped lower and he bent in closer towards Chris as Sam and Gene walked in, "that the person was running from Hunt and Tyler." They saw a forlorn girl, about 18 or so follow in behind them. She looked horrible and drawn out, like something had happened. Gene was swinging a leather rucksack carelessly as Hunt, Tyler and the girl went into one of the interrogation rooms.

"Ouch, that was her?" Ray asked, wincing. "She might look like Hell now, but from that stunt she pulled, she's in it for a lot worse." Chris had to agree on this point.

Some time after they went into the room, Ray passed by the door to the room the trio went in. He wanted to catch parts of what was being said. He could make out Sam berating Gene for something, the girl saying something and Gene laughing in a not-amused way and then shouting at the girl, denouncing her as a Delusional Witch Ray had a bad feeling about the whole statements, and so went back to his desk.

"Hunt just called that kid a delusional Witch!" Ray hissed to Chris. Chris was openmouthed, but before he could regain his speech, there was a loud bang. The interrogation room door floor open.

"BOOK THAT CRAZY WOMAN!" Gene absolutely roared. The girl was marched out by Sam. Sam's face was stone cold and unreadable. Ray and Chris just sat in stunned silence as the girl was marched past them, weeping sadly but fairly quietly.

Sakura was led through the booking process a shell-shocked woman. Her trip to this place started out as lighthearted and fun. Now it was turned into a crappy nightmare! She was cold, numb, scared and sad as she was relieved of her possessions that were secreted on her. Then Sam took her by the arm and placed her in a holding cell. She looked up as she sat, facing the cell door, on the bunk. Instead of the warm look that Sam had in place earlier, there was no a cold, distant look set in his face and resting in his eyes. A look that made Sakura looked at the cement floor as Sam quietly stomped away. She lies on the bunk, curled up in fetal position, silently crying herself to sleep.

"Poor plonk," mused a voice, making her open here eyes. "Either she did something to make Hunt mad," Sakura knew from the voice that it was Ray Carling and he sounded like he had something in his mouth. "Or she is nutters, like he said." His last words made the wound re-open again. She stood up and walked the jail bars. "Oi, Chris," Ray said before taking a bite out of his lunch, "She's awake." 

Both men stood close, eyeing her like a rare exhibit. "Is it true then?" Chris asked her boldly, "You come from a different reality and forward in time?"

"Sure do," She added, not putting up much of a fight. Ray grinned and looked over to his right at Chris. Sakura got desperate to prove her point in any way she could. She reached out and snagged the coats of Chris and Ray. Thinking very strongly of her house, she yelled out, "Omni Maximus Pentero Bentidoct Luminoct!"

Christ had only a brief moment to gaze in a frightened manner at Ray. Him and Ray, in the middle of a bite from his sandwich vanished in a blue blue light along with Sakura from the cell!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Gene couldn't find Skelton or Carling. He was already at the point where he could blow his top! Sam walked into the break room like a sullen little boy.

"That Briars kid got to you, eh?" Gene boasted. "Thought she was an honest tourist?"

"Shut up," Sam snapped bitterly.

"Well she didn't have me fooled." Gene replied, starting up a cigarette to smoke. "Someone would have to be below an idiot to believe her rambling. other realities, what crock!"

Sam glared at Gene sadly as he smoked, oblivious to Sam's glare. Sam was thinking of what the girl said. If she did what she did, could he do the same thing and get back to his time, if that was possible? "Yeah, I guess you are right." Sam halfway admitted to gene who looked stunned.

"Well, I guess I am."

"You seen Chris or Ray," Sam asked, by chance Gene saw them.

"I figure they went out on their break." Sam nodded slowly and went back getting his lunch.

Ray hardly noticed a thing after the nuts-kid yelled out the funny words. Chris softly gasped and it took Ray a full few seconds to realize that the girl was no longer in a cell, and that there were no longer cell bars separating them. Then after that, he noticed the floors and walls were a lot different, more cramped in.

"It's someone's house." Chris stated, in awe and fear at the same time.

"Bloody-"He pushed the girl and she fell backwards. "What did you do?"

This Sakura looked up at him, terrified, "It's just that wanted to prove to Mr. - I meant – DCI Hunt that I wasn't making any rubbish up!"

"Where are we?" Chris asked nervously.

"You are in my home." After awhile, for dramatic effect, she continued, "In my reality, Tuesday, December eleventh, the year two-thousand seven."

Ray swore strongly, "That is not right! Hunt's right, you've lost it!" Chris was saying nothing, but Ray was aware he was standing behind him, back turned from them all. Chris evidently saw something gave it a yank to see what it was. There was a loud crash and weird things, like little plates with holes in the middles of them went everywhere.

"My games," yelled Sakura, darting for where the incident happened. Ray, just as startled, had to move out of the way to stop from being run over. "The Pee-s-too," She shouted again, picking something up. The wires were connected to a think black box. She cradled this and placed it back were it was.

"What is it?" Chris asked, also examining one of the plates he picked up.

"That is a game," Sakura said, taking the thing away from him. "And the thing you made fall over was my Pee-s-too." At least to Ray and Chris, it sounded like Pee-S-too when she said it. They saw her quickly wipe down one side of the disk and place it in the waiting jaws of the black box.

She quickly turned the TV on, when had some show that they have never seen before! There was a blue police box and it was fading out of existence, with a horrid noise! They only got a brief glimpse of this, when something happened and it turn to a black screen.

"I think the police box busted the Telly." Chris attempted to joke. Ray just groaned and rolled his eyes. There was a single tone and white letter appeared, saying PLAYSTATION 2. Some other screen zipped by with advertising and other stuff. SPIDERMAN 3 appeared on the screen.

"Wait 'till you get a look at this baby." Sakura said smugly. She did a couple more things and they saw all kind of neat stuff. Then all that stuff went away, leaving some person standing on the screen with a red and blue costume on. Suddenly, Sakura made the person jump and he was swinging through the air on a white rope, making Ray swear in shock.

"Let me play," Chris blurted. Ray looked at him with a funny look. "Um, please?" He added with a sheepish look. Sakura handed hi the controller, and told them both instruction on both how to use and how not to use it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sam sat at his desk, bothered inwardly about what the strange girl told them in the room alone. He sighed, troubled.

"I am going to skin them both alive!" Gene Hunt grumbled as he pushed past Sam.

Sam asked, as he relegated paperwork "What happened this time?" Them, he gave a heavy sigh, "Don't tell me; Ray ditched again for Football?"

Gene shot Sam an irritated look before he replied, "he bloody better not have!" then, he asked in a lower tone, "What is your problem anyway, Tyler?"

"Problem," Sam began throwing his hands up, "No problem, Gov!" He was hauled out of the chair and pinned against the nearest wall. Sam found Gene sneering closely, too closely, in his face. This, to Sam, was a scene reminiscent of when he first "time-Traveled"

"If I found you've been keeping secrets from me Tyler," He didn't finish, but broke off the sentence, letting the implied threat through.

"I promise, Guv, I haven't been keeping anything from you." Apart the fact where I am from the year 2007 and you're presumably long gone and buried in my time. Sam Tyler thought. After awhile, Gene let Sam go. 

"I am getting fed up with this Cloak and Dagger routine; this delusion girl shows up, Ray and Chris are missing, and you're acting weirder than usual." Gene made a quite, frustrated growl and stalked away, looking for Chris and Ray.

Sam winced; knowing the hell the lot would be in for when Gene found them. He got a bright idea to search through the room where they stashed the girl's stuff when they jailed her. He looked both ways in the hall as to make sure Gene or the other didn't nick him. He turned into the room and rifled through the cabinet where her stuff was stored. He grabbed the many Composition Books that she had in her carry-bags. He quickly hurried up to the Jail, running up to her cell. He stared, open mouthed as he realized the girl was not in the cell at all!

"GOV," He began, running out of the section. "SHE ESCAPED!" He didn't mean to panic like he did, but he knew that his one chance to go over her work with her to try to find a way home was pretty much wrecked and he grew desperate!

Ray was standing, exhausted but still playing Spider-Man 3. He was web swinging after beating up some thugs. He personally was irritated at the one way made a beating 'clean' The Gov wouldn't have just kicked and pulled uppercut on scum. But then of course, he guessed it was the norm in "today's age" to try to make everything clean for the kiddies. He accidentally let go of the R2 button early, causing the line to vanishing. He plummeted to the ground, getting hit with a lorry in the process. Suddenly, Spider-Man didn't get up anymore, and the screen faded to black!

"WHAT THE - I WAS KILLED BY A BLOODY LORRY!" He bellowed, throwing the control down in a fit of rage. "THAT $#&$!"

Chris, setting down at a nearby Gateway computer, laughed loudly and said, "You fail at life, loosing to that car."

"What," Ray said, rounding on Chris, who was rewarded with a cuff to the side of his head. "And what are you doing, wonder boy?"

"I'm using the Internet," Chris replied in a sullen tone. He never turned away from the monitor, but was rubbing where Ray cuffed him. Tears of pained shone in his eyes, unseen by Ray. "That's what happened, its slang. Fail at life, Suck at life, and Fail."

"I think both of you need to get some sleep!" The quite, sharp and grumpy voice rang out from the nearby hallway.

Sakura stood in the hall, irritation and being woken from sleep by roaring sailor-talk. She stamped up front just in time to see Chris get beamed upside his head and saying how Ray sucked at life or whatever. Sakura decided that was enough for one night, or make that morning since it was going on three AM! The stunned couple turned towards the hallway, ashamed look on their faces.

"Get some sleep!" Sakura barked out. "And if any of you get so worked up with the PS to use sailor-mouths again, I am locking it up forever!" Sakura spat out, before turning around and heading back down the hall. They heard a door slam.

"Blimey," Whispered Ray in case the she-bear came charging back up the hall again. "You'd think she was Hunt's kid for a minute. Chris turned the computer off. 

"She's right. We need to get some sleep." Chris said while getting up from the wooden chair and heading to the hall. 

"What about getting back? Hunt and Tyler will have our heads for this!" Ray protested.

Chris was already in a backroom, and his disembodied voice floated up from the hall, "Well you hit me on the head like I was Div, and since you keep calling me one, I'm Sure you can be a hero and pull a miracle out of your butt!" Chris's tone was uncharacteristically snotty and hit Ray like a ton of bricks. Ray shook his head, swore softly and went into the bathroom. He decided, once he got done his business, that he would sleep in the tub since he was not going to go into a room alone with the she-bear, nor share a room with Chris.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Chris lay on the floor in the room he picked out. The room was filled with odd and ends and choked up with piles of clothing strewn around the room. He found that in the rough center of the room, none of the junk was there. He found out that a strange large block of foam laid. This foam felt squishy and seemed to move and conform to his body. However, this novelty fell short real fast as he lay on his back, arms crossed defensively in the dark. His eyes glittered darkly as he thought about how unfair that Ray still treated him like a Div, and hit him! They used to joke around, and sure, Ray lectured him sometimes, like a bizarre father-figure, but for Ray to do that! Chris flopped over on his side, with a rude noise and closed his eyes.

Chris fell into one of those dreams where it is a dream, but consists of nothing but flashbacks from one's past. Insults from Gene sounded from, "You're a waste of space!" to Ray calling him a Div or lecturing him.

"Lost but not forgotten," A sad voice sang like they were in the opera, but they sounded muted and wispy at the same time. "Lost but not forgotten," It added.

He woke up suddenly, in the dark, forgetting where he was. He tried getting up, but stiffened in panic as his hand came down not on a regular bed, but something cold and sort of squishy. His heart started beating rather fast as he withdrew his hand from the alien surface. He closed his eyes and then remembered where he was.

Magic spell. Someone's house in the future! He slowly got off his feet, he was hungry and wanted to get some breakfast!

Sakura woke up to the sound of someone rustling in the room next door to her parent's old room. She didn't pay any attention to it, knowing that there was nothing taboo or anything in plain sight or anything. She wanted to lay there for a few moments, and think about her situation and how she was going to get them back. But then circumstances changed. She had to go, real, really, go!

She leapt up from the bed and moved as fast as she could, hampered by her tiredness. She moved into the bathroom and quickly did her business. She flushed the toilet, which sounded like a bomb going off this time in the morning. There was a rumbling, bitter grumbling from behind the blue privacy curtain for the bath which was draw closed. Sakura got her clothes quickly in order.

"Bloody-"The bitter voice grumbled as the privacy screen was thrown open. Ray stood there, looming out of the bathtub. Before Sakura ran out of the bathroom, squealing in surprise, she dimly noted that Ray closely resembled, as he glared unfocusedly at her, an enraged bear!

DCI Gene Hunt was looming over the interrogation table, but not interrogating anyone. Instead of that, he was standing next to Sam, sifting through the piles of paperwork that the girl had left.

"Look at this, Guv." Sam quietly stated, while pushing some papers to Gene, "What do you reckon these are for?"

"How should I know," gene snapped, ripping the newest papers off the desk. "It's all the same to me." He added bitterly as he read over the few pages, "Chants and potions, total s!" He fell quite as he started reading the papers.

Sam moved on the other side of the table and picked up a folder that was a little more than a couple of inches thick. The folder wasn't fancy; it was just one of those tan colored folders, no pockets, no grommets, that one generally used for holding Tax papers and other legal documents. Sam shifted his eyes towards Gene, but he was still busy lured into reading whatever it was. Sam was trying to figure out how to sneak the thick folder out, it would definitely seem odd if he strutted out of the room with a big block of something shoved under his shirt.

"Well that is interesting," gene began. He plopped the papers back down on the table top. "It seems out youngtourist was heavily involved with dreaming studies."

"Come again," Sam asked, "What kinds of dreaming studies?"

"Recalling dreams with the most detail and, it seems," Gene paused for dramatic effect, "relocating one's physical body through dreaming."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ray felt kind of better by time he did his business. He wandered up the hall after quickly raking one of the combs through his head and brushing his teeth. He took the entire house he saw in with wide eyes. It didn't really stand out from homes back in '73, if you could over look the weird items and far-out looking televisions.

When he reached the kitchen, which Chris and he didn't notice when they first got here, the sight astounded him. The place was very huge, almost two dens put together! And then there was the sterile looking quality of it, not a speck of dirt to be seen. The stovetop range didn't look from the future ether, just a standard range. Ray didn't know what ones from the future looked like, but he'd expected one with timers and all kinds of lights and electric this and electric that.

He turned around and saw a huge dining room table that he assumed was made of oak. Sitting at the table was Chris and Sakura. Sakura wasn't sitting together was Chris; she was sitting across from him. A statement she made clear: They might be from the past, but that didn't mean that she trusted them.

"What's all this then?' Ray asked gruffly, seeing Chris cracking up over something Sakura showed him in a newspaper.

Sakura glanced up then looked ashamed, evidently what happened early. Chris did the same, but barely hiding the smile of amusement. Ray stomped over and ripped the paper off the table. It was not quite front cover, relegated over to the side. The headline, never less screamed out to Ray; JUDGE FOUND GUILTY OF "UNLOADING" DURING TRIAL.

"Good Lord," He yelled. "Is this what the media comes to in the future?" Chris let loose a bray of laughter and bolted from the kitchen not too long after. Sakura heard Ray mutter, calling Chris a div.

Sakura watched in silence as Ray tossed the paper down, narrowly missing Chris's cup of tea. Ray didn't look once at her, and seemed to move about the kitchen in a stiff manner, as if he was embarrassed as well.

"You got any smokes in here?" Ray asked, while peeked into a pantry.

"Nah, I got to run to the store today to get some."

He turned casually around. "Why? We have money on us."

Sakura replied while moving to the sink, "Yes, but your money is too old, the codes won't match up and your ID is invalid. You'll be nicked for a lot of stuff." Ray swore, and after that, they heard an explosion.

Chris came out of the hallway not too long after. "Is the loo supposed to sound that loud?"

"Probably not," Ray replied, eyeing Sakura with disgust. "She doesn't have any smokes, Chris."

"I said I'd go out later," Sakura said acidly, while getting the sink ready to do dishes. Then she snorted an angry sigh of air. "No, wait, if you want to complain so much," She said testily to Ray while shutting off the water faucet. "You do the bloody dishes. I and Chris are going out."

"What," Ray began incredulously as Sakura handed Chris a pile of climate-suitable clothes to turn into. "Why?"

"I saw you, hitting Chris the other night. That has to stop." Chris looked down at the floor, face growing red.

"Yeah, Ray. I hate it." Chris said, blushing even as he spoke.

"But cleaning is a woman's job!" Ray barked, incensing Sakura even further. Sakura swore profusely in words that boiled the air and made Ray and Chris's jaws drop to the ground.

She turned to Chris and said, "Go in the back and change clothes. For the climate, you understand. Just toss your old clothes down the basement steps. I'll collect them for cleaning later." Sakura went outside while Chris veered down the hall, leaving an outrage Ray in the kitchen by himself.

"So, how do you do the dream stuff?" Sam asked. Gene Hunt was withholding information and Sam hated it!

"Why are you so interested in it, all of a sudden, Tyler?" Gene asked suspiciously. He held the papers away from Sam.

"Nothing, Guv," Sam conceded defeat, knowing that Gene would never let him touch the papers, and he couldn't yank them away from him.

"Well all it says is 'Dream Teleportation': Dreaming of a place and coming out someplace else. Then it goes on to say about 'making your self real from the feet up in a dream.' It sounds rather unpleasant."

"Unpleasant," Sam replied, "How can that be unpleasant?"

'Well Ray could pull it off, he knows what do if he's in a crunch. It's Chris I'm concerned about."

"Do shut up," Sam muttered darkly, plopping down in a chair. "That's all I hear, how Chris and Ray muck around." Gene had nothing do say but to make an angry grumping noise and put the papers away. Gene was grabbing the little silver flash to take a swig from it. Sam up angry, about the not-being-able-to-go-home bit, and Gene drinking himself to death. Sam's eyes had a burning focus as he thought about the contents of it. "Omni maximus Pyro Luminoct!" he barely whispered the words when he had a stabbing pain all in his head. The real bad kind, when he heard the words being talking about him like he was in a coma or something. He clutched at his face desperately, sending the chair he was sitting in backwards and him with it.

"TYLER," gene roared as he jumped up. The flask was tossed down, and impossibly, the top was spewing out a flame like a blowtorch! The flame died out while gene grabbed his large coat off a nearby rack and threw it over his desk, stamping all over it to make the flames die down. He ran to Sam, who was lying down on the floor, dazed. He cradled Sam in his lap, trying to help him stand. "I thought the flame got you, with you grabbing your face like that.

Sam was dazed and looked at the little shape concealed by the coat. He put two and two together. A swear word shot out of his mouth, and then promptly passed out.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Annie Cartwright was sitting down at a desk, working over some paperwork on a case. She wished Phyllis was there with her so that the two could see to the work together. Besides, they could talk about the stuff that they could never mention to the guys. She jumped when Hunt bellowed from his office. She jumped up and ran into the door. She saw Gene kneeling on the floor, cradling Sam in his lap. Gene's jacket was thrown over the whole surface of the desk and it smelled like a cigarette gone wrong somehow.

"Help me," He demanded of Annie, looking haunted. Annie leapt into action, getting what other people in there she could. Together, they moved Sam into the locker room, making sure they didn't drop him.

"What happened to Sam?" Annie asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Gene admitted, chewing his lower lip worriedly. "We got into a little row about Ray and Chris. When I went to get a nip, my flask exploded." Annie's hand shot up to her mouth in shock.

"What do you mean?"

Gene and Annie went back to his office, after making sure some people were keeping an eye on Sam. Annie's eyes grew in shock when Gene fished the flask from under the large coat. The coat was ok, just smelling of a tad bit smoke that could come out in a washing or two. However, the flask was all but ruined. The silver coat had been corrupted, tarnishing it with a sickish black color. Annie gently picked the item up and dropped it with a grimace of distaste; the flask also was left greasy. Now, Annie's hand had a smudge of black coated on it.

"What do you think of it, Cartwright?" Gene asked. "How could this happen?"

"I don't know sir," She replied. "Maybe you can tell me what led up to it?"

"Sam and I, we had a small row. Then, I open my flask. It spouted flame. At the same time, Tyler is grabbing his face and head and halls backward out of the chair. I sort it out, then go to him, he is awake but saw what happened, swore then feinted dead away. It was the most chilling thing I ever saw. Weirdness goes together with Tyler hand-in-hand."

Chris labored behind Sakura on the country road, asking to take a break. He saw Sakura regarding him as he took a swig from the only water canteen they had between them. He found a pair of blue jeans, which didn't look bad on him at all. The short sleeved shirt looked out of place on him, and he figured it was because he was still used to wearing his old fashioned stuff. The t-shirt had been Sakura's fathers, he learned. Her father was a rather large man, and often wore XXL shirts. The shirt he now wore was white, and had a woman's picture on it. 'LeAnn Rimes' was the name given to the lady. Sakura explained that her dad loved Country Music, Bluegrass as well.

"How much father to this Fast Stop," He inquired as he gave Sakura the canteen.

She took a small quick swig, without wiping down the mouthpiece, as Chris grimaced. "Even I know about germs and stuff," He muttered.

"Not that far," She replied, screwing the cap back on the canteen. 'And sorry, wasn't thinking." She replied abut the germs issue. "Let's go."

"Can't we wait a few more minutes?" Chris wasn't unfit, but lately, he's been walking the farthest he has in a long time. "What about a Lorry or something?"

"I don't drive and don't have a bunch of people that have my back." Sakura looked back and saw that Chris wasn't moving. "It's better in the long run if you keep walking. Get too cozy in one spot after a bout like this, and you'll get very sore in the legs." Chris swore ever so softly and moved at last, trying to catch up with Sakura.

Ray was at the house, the dishes done. At first when the duo left, he was furious. That and ashamed having to do something menial like dishes, something a true div would be forced to do. Then after an hour, he was becoming worried because they weren't back yet. After the dishes were done, he looked for a Beer, but couldn't find any.

"What has this bloody future come to?" he muttered, finding, instead, a can of Coca-Cola.

He eased himself in the easy chair in the den and turned on the Telly. As he sipped on the can of Coke, he marveled at some of the stuff that was flashing across its screen. He groaned when some other TV shows came up total rubbish. He saw near the Telly a black tape cassette. He grabbed it and shoved it in quickly, pressing a random button. The thing turned on. This voice said something about Tuesday Nitro.

"Previously, on Life on Mars." The voice stated. Ray sat forward in the easy chair, eyeing the Telly with rapt attention, and sat back in the chair, slack-jawed at the montage of images flickering across the screen. The Soda lay on the floor, in a puddle where he'd dropped it in shock.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sam slowly opened his eyes. He wanted to rush up and bound right onto his feet to check on the Guv and make sure he was alright, as well as his office. He started to but had to settle for just sitting up on the edge of whatever she was sitting on. He was afraid that if he moved anymore, he was going to be sick everywhere. One of the guys he didn't know came into where he was.

"The Guv said you've feinted," The man began. "Is that true?"

"I hit my head really hard and passed out, yeah: Feinted, no."

The man left and Sam slowly got to his feet. It appeared that he didn't become sick anyplace, which he was thankful for. He went where he had his spare clothes. Luckily his jacket was still tucked away, so that didn't end up being ruined by the heavy smell of smoke. He tore off his old clothes and tied them up in a bag with a sour look of distaste. He quickly got on his spares clothes and chucked the filled bag into the nearest Rubbish bin. He knew that it would be no use, that those clothes would always reek of smoke no matter how many times he washed them. He showed up at the Guv's office. The Guv wasn't in there at the moment, so he let himself in.

The office was pretty much cleaned up by now, with some air freshener sprayed in it to relieve the smell. The desk was pretty much untouched, if you could over the deep black gouge in the top, left by the blowtorch. The coat had bee picked up and placed in a bag, no doubt to get cleaned, and the flask was discarded in the trash pail. Sam hunkered down and plucked the flask from the trash. He held it up, studying it, not minded that his hands were getting soot on them. The drink inside was presumably dumped out by a frightened Gene.

"What are doing here?" The rough voice made him jump. He jumped up. Gene had just entered the office and was glowering at Sam.

"What happened?"

"You bloody well tell me!" Gene snarled. "You acted like you knew right before you passed out!"

Chris and Sakura puffed up the wooden ramp, totally knackered. They were carrying bags upon bags of foodstuff, as well as a couple of two liters of Pepsi, which Chris insisted on getting because he wanted to try it. They had a small, tense row with as few words as possible because of all the stuff they had to carry back, but later, almost at the house, they made-up, agreeing on how it was fun to see part of the town like that. Sakura knew that for Chris it would have been a break from all those small building and stuff in the U.K.

"Is that," he trailed off, wrinkling his nose in disgust at the smell. "Cow manure?"

'We didn't smell it earlier, but that was over and hour ago," Sakura replied, not noticing the smell, as she grew up with it for twenty one years. 'So they must have just done it."

After awhile, they reached the long dirt road that was for Sakura's whole neighborhood. Some neighbors, only about four houses in a secluded subdivision. "So, where are the other people during the day?" Chris asked.

"They have jobs all day: One works as a bank teller, one in the Military, and one as a Janitor for the whole school system in this little area."

'Where do you work?"

Sakura knew it had to come up somehow, "I worked retail,"

Chris nodded as they started walking up the big stone driveway of her house. It was blue stones, but all through the years the driveway partially eroded, leaving craters and various stuff. They had to watch where they went.

"So, what part in Retail?"

"I was a Cashier." She laid some stuff down to open the door. "It wasn't that bad, not with the stuff now auto-"Her jaw dropped at the mess in the living room. The end table was over turned, and the lamp on it was on the floor, shattered in the process. "Holy $," Sakura exploded.

Chris suddenly forced her aside, a battering ram of sudden power. She saw that upon entering the house, he took on a familiar stance, one of a worried Cop.

"RAY," Chris bellowed as he ran from the living room to the kitchen. "RAY, WHERE ARE YOU?" Sakura's world took on a cold, bleary hue as shock set in. She walked in slowly, being rewarded with a warning gesture from Chris.

"Get ready to call something in," He whispered, his feature very pale and frightened. "I think the place was broken into."

"With Ray here," Sakura said voice toneless. "I doubt it," Chris gave her one last desperate look and ran into the hall. After a few moments, he called out, "I found him!"

Sakura found herself running back to the back. She veered off into her parent's room and saw Ray standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed. Chris was standing next to the door, like he could bolt out any time. Ray looked fierce, looked very angry about something, his blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"I want to go home now." He said in a voice which bespoke of barely controlled rage.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 1

Chapter 9

Gene glared angrily at Sam for a few minutes. 'Fine, spit it out, I haven't got all day!"

"I was just checking over the aftermath. I don't know if any accelerants-"

"What bloody accelerants, what rubbish are you spouting now?" Gene slipped farther into an irritable mood, spooked by what happened earlier. He'd never admit this, nope; he'd have no choice but to carry on.

"Well, Guv,' Sam began, perching on the corner of the desk, "If someone had it in for you, they might have slipped something inside, a bomb maybe?" Sam was clutching at straws, he knew, but it was better that then telling Hunt he got angry enough to cast a spell! Already, Sam swore against doing that again.

"Well what do you propose we do about it?"

"Nothing for now," Gene made noises of protest and Sam explained, "I, for one, don't want anything to happen to Ray and Chris." Sam felt wrong having said this, but he would right now do anything to keep what he almost did a secret.

"I think that is far too late," Gene complained, "Meaning, as they are bloody missing!"

"Well we know they are missing. The pint is where did they go?" Sam replied, sighing. This talk was not going well; neither of them had a clue.

"That ruddy Dream Teleportation thing has got to be the answer." Gene relented. "I say we take the chances and use it." Sam was shocked at Gene for demanding that they take a huge risk such as this!

"Guv, you saw the papers and they even had written down that is was theoretical!" Sam winced remembering something, "Besides any one of us could splinch-"

"Splinch," Gene began, dumfounded, "What rubbish are you spouting now, Tyler?"

Sam cursed himself, as he blurted out a word that, as far as he knew, only J.K Rowling made for the Harry Potter series! "Just that you wouldn't want to make mistakes and leaves pieces of you behind. We'd be in no position to get them back then."

"Yeah," Gene began, grimacing, getting the image Sam put into his head, "I guess we wouldn't be: But what can we do?"

Sam was a lost for words. What was there to do; wait, or do it outright? "We wait," Sam could sense a protest forming, so he added, "Because from what it seems, you'd have to have very good dream control."

Gene was getting irritated and weary by this time. 'So you mean, I'm stuck here because _I can't dream?_" Sam nodded, conceding into this question. Suddenly, Sam found himself pushed back violently, almost sending Gene's filing cabinet over. "I know about dreaming!" Gene snarled, also swearing. 'And when I get my hands-"

Sam pushed Gene from him. "When we get out hands on the three, you will do no such thing as push them around! We have to wait, you could end up dreaming into the wrong place and time!"

Gene stood, stunned, "Tyler, did you just say time?' After awhile, he added, 'What do you mean by time?"

"We'll never get it sorted if you have to end up running from a T-Rex," Sam explained. "I am going to leave it at that."

Back in the future, Ray glared at Sakura and Chris. "You can bloody stay here if you want," he retorted to Chris. "But I am sick of this, I want to go home!"

"But why now, we were having fun-"Chris began innocently. This set Ray off, he charged at Chris, who hadn't a moment to dodge.

"Having fun, yeah?" he roared, grabbing Chris by the neck. "Look at this, bloody look!" All the while, Ray was dragging Chris up the hall into the living room. He wouldn't let Chris go even when he turned the Telly on. "Bloody look Chris, bloody look!" Chris reluctantly made his eyes meet the glare of the Telly and was gob smacked when he saw DI Sam Tyler solving a case with DCI Gene Hunt. Ray finally let go of Chris when he shut the Telly off. "We are a flipping show, Chris! All our private lives, left for this lot to see!"

"Is this true?" Chris asked, reluctant to meet Sakura's gaze. His eyes held that saddened look that Sakura remembered seeing when they though Sam Tyler turned traitor.

Sakura didn't know what to say, there was nothing she could say. Ray was right, even if the people on the screen wasn't them, it did show their lives on there, for an audience! Chris didn't look up as he hurried past Sakura, back down the hall. He turned into the big room as he slammed the door loudly.

"Great, now Chris is upset." Ray grumbled. He shot Sakura a side wards glare. "And it's always your fault!"

"Oh sure, when you call him a waste of space and make him always feel like crap, then it's my fault!" The words tumbled out of Sakura's mouth before she could stop herself. Ray looked at her like he saw her for the first time. "And when he was upset at Sam for the Train robbery thing-"

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Ray raised his voice in genuine anger. He was very angry for this girl he did not know brings up this emotional wound! "YOU WERN'T EVEN THERE!" then he put on a snide voice, "oh that's right, you technically spied on us." Somehow, they stood close, sneering into each others faces. The doorbell rang.

They both, in unison, turned to the door and yelled at the person to do something to them. They distinctly heard a huff then a muffled, very snobby, "Well, I never," Then the sound of foot beats going away from the door.


End file.
